This invention relates to a device which assists in the mounting of a plow on a vehicle and more specifically to a dolly designed to support and render a snow plow blade easily movable.
In the northern parts of the United States, snow fall can be quite heavy. With the heavy snow fall, comes the opportunity to provide services by removing snow from roads, driveways and other arteries; and profit by providing the services. For this purpose, it is quite common for a person to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle and have a snow plow blade installed on the vehicle. This combination of equipment renders it possible for many people to keep their own arteries clear and possibly make a living plowing arteries of others.
There are however, several problems with this endeavor. For example, the smaller plows used in these businesses weigh in excess of 500 pounds. Thus, it becomes clearly a problem to move--let alone mount--the particular plows on the vehicles. It clearly requires the efforts of at least two persons to mount the plow on the vehicle. It is also difficult to remove the plow from the vehicle.
It thus becomes common to leave the snow plow on the vehicle during the period of time when snow is extremely likely to fall. In fact, most people install the plow at the beginning of the winter and remove it at the end. This long period of installation creates a substantial number of problems, while supposedly solving the problem of storage of the blade.
There are many disadvantages to this extended installation. The great weight of the plow, which is required for the snow plow to be effective, causes an extra burden on the front end of the vehicle. For example, the front tires and bearings of the vehicle, together will all of the other component parts of the frontend, wear out much more quickly than similar parts of a vehicle not carrying a plow blade.
Therefore, it is clearly desirable to provide a device, which will permit a snow plow blade to be installed and removed more easily. Design of such a device is very difficult. Different brands of plows are available. Different vehicles have different heights and require flexibility for installation. The differences in the vehicles and the plows compound the problems of making a device to assist in the mounting and removal of a blade. Thus, the required flexibility in the device causes substantial problems--the solution of one problem adding to the other problem.
Thus, it may be seen that it is extremely desirable to prepare a blade mounting device for use with a multiplicity of vehicles while at the same time making the device capable of permitting easier installation and removal of the blades.